"The LeCure thing I would have never seen that coming when we began spring training," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "I think it breaks all our hearts that he's not on this ball club right now. We anticipate him being back.

"We feel like he's not at his best where he needs to be right now. We've got to get him back there. He should be a big part of our team this season. We're all just a wreck about him not being with us at this point in time. I'm very confident he'll be back with us."

LeCure went through waivers and was not claimed. He is off the 40-man roster. He was outrighted. He has to accept the assignment. If he doesn't, he becomes a free agent.

"That was the toughest of the final decisions," Price said. "(LeCure) embodies everything we do here with the Reds. We really do need him back."

LeCure, 30, has spent all of the last four seasons with the Reds. He was 1-4 with a 3.81 ERA last year. He struggled in the second half, going 0-3 with a 4.30 ERA.

LeCure's velocity has been down this spring.

"But the concern isn't the velocity," Price said. "The concern is simply fastball command. He's a fastball pitcher with a lot of good accessory pitches — curveball, slider, change-up. But his bread and butter as we've seen over the last five years is being able to locate that fastball. That off-the-body, come-backer on the lefties, freeze down and away to right-handers. It's a signature pitch for him. He's been a little erratic with that since the second half of last season.

"He's a much better pitcher than he's shown recently. We need to get him back there."

The Reds still have 28 men on the roster. Outfielder Jason Bourgeois, right-hander Homer Bailey and left-hander Sean Marshall will start the year on the disabled list.

Raisel Iglesias and Lorenzen have been competing for the fifth starter spot. Iglesias is on the roster; Lorenzen is not.

The Reds expect the fifth starter to make only one start before Bailey returns.

"Lorenzen, we felt like there was some polish," Price said. "We also felt like he's a non-roster guy. To add him to the roster to make a start, then most likely go back to the minor leagues didn't make sense. Plus having to risk losing a player in order to do that. We did stretch him out in preparation to challenge for that spot. Iglesias is a roster pitcher. It made sense for him to be available, especially in the early season. We'll see how that takes shape when he get Homer back and how that affects our bullpen and our rotation."